Duke isn't looking for moral victories at this point, since they know they are capable of beating some teams, including Wake Forest. But they still haven't figure out how to close the deal on a regular basis, and so let Wake off the hook, losing 41-36.
What they are showing, though, is a significantly improved offense and a lot of heart. In past seasons, they would have packed it in and given up. No more.
It's still a young group, and they're going to get better, and are, in fact. Obviously no one wanted to be down 34-9, but coming back from that is a good sign.
And with the exception of UConn, Duke's been consistently competitive late: at Virginia, they were within four in the third quarter.
Navy was a three point game, Miami was close to the end, and then there was the Wake comeback.
Things are about to get tougher, with Virginia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, and Georgia Tech on the horizon. But there's progress, and there's hope.